Overhead-track system.



PATNTED MAR. 8, 1904.

Gn F. STBEDMAN. OVERHEAD-TRACK SYSTEM.

AMLIOMION FILED Nov. 2, 1903.

s SHEETS-SHEET 1.

N0 MODEL.

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PATENTED MAR. 8, 1904.

G. F. STEEDMAN. OVERHEAD TRACK SYSTEM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 2,- 1903..

N0 MODEL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

wznesses.

ld/'Mira Inventor: georgefy No. 754,396. PATBNTED MAR. a, `1904.

- G. P. STEEDMAN. GVERHEAD TRACK SYSTEM.

APPLIOATIO FILEDNOV. 2, 1903. no xoDnL.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

mde-ases. Invgfnor:

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i ma 754,396.

- a citizen of the lUnited States,residing at the' i UNITED STATES Patentemamns, i904.

GEORGEF. fernab-MAN, OF LOUIS, MISSOURI.-

SPECIFICATION forming para .of Letters Patent No. Afrancas, 'aatealuar'ch e, 1904.

Applicatiqn filed November 2,1903. Serial N'n.`179,600. (Remodel.)

4To all when@ it may concern: Y

Be it known that I, GEORGE F. STEEDMAN',

city of St. Louis, .Stateof Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in'Overhead-Track Systems, of which the fol-A .lowing is a full, clear, and exact description,-

such as will enable others skilled-in the art to which ,it appertains to make and use thesame, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawingsv Figure 1 isa top plan view of; a switch in I the system. Fig.- 2 is al side elevational View,

partly in section, of lsaid switch. Figs. 3 and 4 are detail views ofthe switch-castings'. Fig.

l5 is a top plan view of a crossover usedin the improved system, and Fig. 6 is a vertical operating mechanism.vv l Thls invention relates to new and useful 1msectional View throughl said crossover and its l provements in overhead-track systems used in 1 being preferably made up of material having aic'orresponding section 'to the maintrack 1.

The outer or free endof the switch-tongue carries a casting 13, preferably on its upper face, which casting extends on each side of the switch-tongue to formv guards`14. .(See

Fig. 4.) Casting 13 affordsv a bearing for a T-shaped lever 15, whose lower end has acha-in 16 connected thereto, said chain extending on each side of the lever and passing over rollers 17, secured in brackets attached to the angle-` -braces 9. The crosshead of lever 15 coperates with the T-shaped' end of a lever 18, pivoted at 19 in casting 13, the inner end osaid lever being held up by a spring 20. i The outer forming part of this specification, in whichor free end of lever18 coperates with notches 21 in a casting 22 bridgingthe ends o f the tracks to which the switch-tongue is common. This casting 22 is provided with lateral lugs forth attachment of the angle-'braces 9vand 'may also have lugs 23 lfor the yattachment of YVhen the parts Iare in y the positions shown in Fig. 1, it is obvious that a carrier on either of the side tracks eandiagonal brace-rods.

not pass beyond the guards 111.V In this possA sition of the parts' .the switch-tongue provides -a way for the carrier from the. main track 1A to thelcentral group-of flicks. In'orderfto movethe switch-tongue to'eith'er of the side 5 ythe chainlon that side to which it isdesired- 'f tracks, it i's only necessary to pullthe end of to movethe switch-tongue, when the inner `end of lever18'will be depressed, raising the ,outer'en'd ofsaid lever out of its notch, anda continued, pull on;4 chain 16., Will swing v.the switch-tongue in the desired direction." In

order to facilitate themovement of the switclrtongueand also provide a support for the free* y end thereof, rollers 24'arehmounted in casting k13 and bear uponv a track extensionof casting 22. VVhen'the switch-tongue 12 is in line with any of thev groupsof tracks connected tor Acasting 22, the spring .20 exerts its energy to force the outer end of lever 18 down into-its ,8

alining notch, and theoperator-is thus made sensible of the fact that the tongue is in alinement with one of the groups of tracks, and

by lreleasing the chairror cord the'switchtongue-will be brought-to a position' of rest opposite Aone of; the groups of tracks. If,

lhowever, the "opera-tor -wishes. to move the switch-tongue beyond-.the track at which it' seeks to stop because of the action of the outer end Of lever 18, a continued pull on .the chain 16` will depress the inner end Jof lever 18, rais-v ing its outer end out of the recess, and will move the switch-tongue 12 onward to the-next track.-

The vcrossover (indicated in'Figs. 5 and 6) is inthe nature of a turn-table andl may be installed at any point in the system where two or more tracks'cross each other. The capacity j of thiscrsslover is onlyl limited by the size o the tracksandmheir ability to be grouped a o und the supporting-ring, sucien't clearance being allowed for the carrier. This sup? porting-ring is indicatedi at n25, to the under side of which'v are connected the ends of said tracks 1.` Ring. extends yinwardly beyond the ends' of tracks Iland has formed on 'its upper face a ball-race, in which are located balls 26. Around this .ball-race is a guardl, ange'27. '28 indicates the crossing track,A which'is of the same section as the tracks 1,

said crossing track Vbeing suspended fromaring-casting 29, having a marginal fiange 30 resting on the balls 26. The upper face of this marginal flange 30 is formed with gearteeth 31, and in addition the marginal ange 30 is provided with notches 32 at appropriate points corresponding to the positions of the Vtracks 1 entering the crossover. 33 indicates a'pinion' in mesh with .the teeth 31, said pinion being mounted upon the end of a" shaft 34,

which shaft finds a bearing in a casting 35,

secured at some appropriate point to the ringcasting 25. 36 indicates a pin or stud in the shaft 34, with which coperates the'cam-faces of a slidingY sleeve or, hub'37. These cam- 25- faces are so proportioned that when thesleeve or hub is rotated it'may niove independently 'of the shaft 34 for approximately one-quarterv of a revolution, when it is arrested by thehigh part of the cam 38 and locked against'further independent rotation. This independent r0- tation of sleeve 37 results in sliding said sleeve longitudinally the shaft 34, and this longitudinal motion is utilized to operate a lockingstu'd 39, 'slidingly mounted in ycasting 35 and having its outer bent end engaging an annular 4 groove40 in the hub 37. The inner end of this locking-stud cooperates withthe notches 32 in the marginal ange '30 of the crossover ring-casting and holds thecrossover-track 28 in proper alinement with diametrically opposite enterlng tracks 1. In order to operate ,the sleeveV 37, I conjoin'thereto a chain-pulley 41, o ver which passes, preferably, an endless chain 42 within" convenient reach of the operator. The outer end of shaft l34 is provided with a cap-piece 43, between which and the chain-sprocket 41 is arranged a spring 44, whose energies are exerted at all times to force the sprocket-wheell and its conjoined sleeve inwardly or in that position in which the studs 36 rest in the low part of the camfaces. follows: By rotating the chain-sprocket 41 the slefe 37 will be moved outwardly on thel shaft through the cam-faces thereof until the high part of the cam 33 prevents further independent rotation, and by this time .the locking-bolt 39 will have -been lifted out of its re- The operation of this' crossover isas cei'ving-notch in the `flange 30, Continued application of power in the same direction will now rotate the pinion 33 and motion will be imparted to the ring-casting 29 and its crossover-track 28. This motion continues.,

until thel pin .39 is Vopposite the next notch 32, when said pm wlll drop into said notcland Letters/Patent, isl brin'g the parts to a position ofv rest. Of

course continued application of power to the chain'will repeat the operation, and'theniotioi of the crossovertrack 'may be continued 4as far as' desired,

Iam'aware that minor changes in the con structin,arrangement, andcombination of'4 i the several parts of4 my device can be made f and substituted 4for those herein shown' and described without in the least departing from4 the' nature and vprinciple of my invention. ji

,Having thus described the invention,` what is claimed as new, and desired to be secured by A 1. In an overhead-track systern,fthe combi-p` nation with a main track, of a casting for sup# porting its end, a pivot-bolt mounted' in said casting, a switch-tongue arranged on-` sald pivot-bolt, a casting for supporting a plurality of tracks with which4 the.swi`tchtongue lis. adapted to aline, and braces extendingfro'mf the. extremities of said last-mentioned casting andv connected to the supporting-casting for the main-track'terminal; substantially as de-` scribed. i c u 3'. In l,an overhead-track` system, thecomblnationwith a switch-tongue carrying a guard casting at its free end, ofa supporting-casting for a plurality of branch tracks, means on the guard-casting for supporting the free end Aof the switch-tongue, notches in said supportingswitchfton'gue in alinement with a branch track.; substantially as described.

4. In anoverhead-track system, the comb' nation with a switch-tongue, of a plurality ofcasting, and means on the guard-casting for y V 'cooperating'. with said notches to lock the I fo branch tracks with which-the same is capable of being alined, 'a supporting-casting for said branch tracks, saidsupporting-casting having notches, means mounted on the switch-tongue for cooperating with said notches to lock the vswitch-tongue -in alining positions with thev 'branch tracks, and devices cooperating with said lockingy means for moving said switchtongue from one branch track to another; subV stantially as described.

5. In an overhead-track system, 'the combination with a switch-tongue, of a plurality of branch tracks with which the same is capable of being alined, a supportingcasting for said branch track, said supporting-casting having notches, means mounted on the switch-tongue for cooperating with said" notches tolock the switch-tongue in alining position with the branch track, and a common means coperating with the locking means for releasing the same and for moving said switch-tongue from one branch track to another; substantially as described.

6.` In an overhead-track system, the combination with a switch-tongue, of a springpressed lever pivotally mounted on the free end thereof, a notched member with which said lever coperates to lock the switch-tongue in diiferent adjusted positions, aT-shaped 1ever cooperating with said spring-pressed lever, and a chain connected to said T-shaped lever .and extending on each side thereof whereby when said chain is pulled the T- shaped lever is operated to raise the springpressed lever out of its notch, a continuedV pull on the chain 'moving the switch-tongue; substantially as described. l

7 In an overhead-track system, the combination with a main-track terminal, of a supporting-casting therefor, a switch-tongue pivoted adjacent to said terminal, a group of branch tracks, a supporting-casting for said branch tracks, braces connecting said two supporting-castings, a lever pivotally carried by the free end of the switch-tongue for coperating with notches in the supporting-casting for the group of branch tracks to' lock the switch-tongue in different adjusted'positions, a T-shaped lever cooperating with said firstmentioned lever to raise it out of its receivingnotch, pulleys on the connecting-braces, and a chain connected to said T-shaped lever having its ends passing over said pulleys; substantially as described.

8. In an overhead-track system, the combination with a main track, of aswitch-tongue, a group of branch tracks, means for locking 'zed to move the switch.- tongue from one branch track to another; substantially as described.

9. In an overhead-track system, the combination with a movable transfer-track, of a spring-impelled device mounted thereon and designed to t in notches to aline the transfertrack with a fixed track, and a flexible connection for releasing the spring-impelled device; and by which iexible connection the transfer-track is moved; substantially as described.

10. In an overhead-track system, the combination with a plurality of converging tracks, of a ring-casting for supporting the ends of the same, a gear coperating with said ringcasting and carrying a crossing-track member, a pinion for rotating said gear, a shaft upon which said pinion is mounted, a spring-impelled bolt for engaging notches in said gear for alining the crossing track with two diametrically opposite converging tracks, a chain and sprocket-wheel feathered on said shaft and whose hub portion is provided with camfaces for moving said bolt, and a spring on said'shaft for restoring the sprocket-,wheel and its cam faced hub to normal position; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihereunto aflix m signature, in the presence of two witnesses, this 26th day of October, 1903.

`GEORGE I". S'IEEDMAN..

Witnesses:

' F. R. CORNWALL,

GEORGE BAKEWELL. 

